Well, how many times have we seen various chefs, moms, and bloggers claiming to possess the “Best Chicken Enchilada Recipe Ever”? But, guess what? I concede, my recipe – or the recipe I’ve used for years – may not be the best. (I hate to admit that! Sigh…) I just read a recipe on Ali’s blog over at Gimme Some Oven for a Homemade Red Sauce that sounds

I love pizza. I love whole wheat pizza dough. So, it’s no surprise that one of the very first recipes I’m sharing here on The Birch Cottage blog is my favorite whole wheat pizza dough recipe. My husband, Lenny, and I took a trip to Niagara Falls, Canada a few years ago and while there, we ate at Wolfgang Puck‘s restaurant. I’ve been told that

Spring IS just a couple of days away, right? I’m questioning this because it is back in the 20’s tonight. I’m really so over winter! Well, regardless of the weather today, I know it’s going to get warmer – eventually. I also know that with Spring comes Easter. And as I got to thinking about Easter, a few songs came to my mind. And when I

Lenny and I are going on a little trip to the beach and hope to take in some snorkeling. We’ve decided to buy a waterproof camera so we can capture all those great underwater shots. I’m pretty excited about the trip (an understatement) and a little uneasy about traveling outside of my comfort zone. But, I’ll have my Lenny with me and it will be

I may have mentioned this or maybe you already know this about me, but sometimes I think I’m the funniest person I know! Seriously! I TOTALLY crack myself up. Well, when I’m not amusing myself by being funny, I’m sometimes amusing myself by being clever. And, believe it or not, this is one of those clever moments for me. I am a big fan

A couple of weekends ago, my hubby and I went on a trip for a long weekend. Included in our trip was four hours of shopping at the IKEA store in West Chester, Ohio. This was our very first visiting an Ikea store! We were both amazed and overwhelmed with the selection. My Lenny was dreading the shopping experience, but once there, he found all

I spent some time today perusing The Wood Grain Cottage‘s blog. Shayna is the creative voice at The Wood Grain Cottage and she has some incredible projects featured on her blog. If you haven’t been to her site – go there now! One of the projects on her site that caught my eye was the Wood File Boxes. I love the idea of these boxes.

If I could pick who I lived next door to, and it had to be someone other than family, I just might pick Candice Olson. I love her style and this living room is no exception to the rule! Although, the more I think about it, I don’t know if living next door to Candice is really a great idea. I mean, she’d have the

We have a somewhat functioning kitchen, but it’s way past due on the update timeline. We just aren’t sure what we want to do or even if we want to start with the kitchen. However, never let a thing like that stop you from looking for inspiration! I just love the white cabinets and blue countertops. It’s got that sort of old but modern

I downloaded the “Building a Framework” eBook from Abby Lawson of Just a Girl and Her Blog entitled “Building a Framework” (you can read about it here). I’m not even half-way through the book, I am already feeling inspired. I have so many thoughts and ideas about what I’l like to share with each of you, that sometimes I’m not sure where to begin. I do

I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for spring! Actually, I’m ready for summer, but I’ll settle for spring. It’s been a long, cold and snowy winter here in central Ohio. However, today, my dog Remo and I were sitting on our enclosed front porch, basking in the warmth of the sunshine (it was a whopping 50 degrees), when something in the front yard

Browsing through Martha Stewart’s website today, I discovered that you can actually make your very own chalkboard paint. Not only can you make your own chalkboard paint, but you can make it in any color you want and – maybe the best part – at a fraction of the cost! How did I not know this?! The post on the Martha Stewart site is from

These Healthy Chocolate Chunk Muffins are not just a healthy alternative to chocolate muffins, but they taste amazing! Part of my quest for eating healthier means trying to find alternatives – especially those that help satisfy a sweet tooth. I found this recipe which happens to be a Whole Foods Vitatop Muffin copycat. I found similar recipes all over the web. Also, various sites claimed

Believe it or not, but I’m really sticking to this whole eating healthier journey that I’ve begun. My weight loss has been at a stand still for a couple of weeks, but I actually saw the scales move again yesterday – down 1-1/2 pounds. I’ll take it! The weather has also been a little nicer here in Ohio the past couple of days, so I’ve

Lenny and I were fortunate enough – or maybe stupid enough or adventurous enough – to travel from our home in Ohio to San Diego, California and back last summer. We made the trip in our trusty Ford Freestyle, while towing our little pop-up camper behind us. We made many stops along the way, with Colorado and Utah being some of my favorites. Of course,

One question I get asked frequently is how to arrange photo groupings on a wall. Whether it’s up the stairway, in the baby’s room or maybe over the mantle, it really helps to better visualize the space if you can see it before you hang the photos. Below are some images of a few wall portrait display ideas. Maybe these images will help inspire you

This past Christmas I was looking for an ornament that I could make for each of our seven children. I wanted something special that they could add to their personal ornament collection. I came across some stamped birch ornaments on the Shanty 2 Chic website and decided to try to transfer pictures onto the wood slices instead of using stamps. This summer while we were

I just love Candice Olson and her show Divine Design. I don’t think I’ve seen anything that she’s designed that I didn’t just absolutely love. I stumbled across this picture of one of her designs when I was looking for design inspirations for our kitchen. I just love the off-white cabinets, open shelving and blue countertops. Your thoughts?

I am still in the process of getting my blog setup, but I wanted to post my very first official post anyway! I am super excited to be sharing creative projects, DIY projects, recipes, photography tips and family stories. From my family to yours, welcome to our little cottage!

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Hello and welcome to my creative place! I'm Pam and the Birch Cottage is my little corner of the world where I share my passion for family, all things DIY, recipes and those ordinary everyday life events that make life extraordinary. Thank you for visiting!